


Bring Him Home

by Dunedain87



Category: Trollhunters (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, I dont know how to properly tag, Jim gets hurt, Jk tear me to shreds for real, Kidnapping, Mild torture, So yeah, poor baby, so be nice please!, this is my first fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-06-16 10:40:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15435264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dunedain87/pseuds/Dunedain87
Summary: Jim gets captured by three rogue Changelings. Just another day in the life of the Trollhunter it seems. That is, until he realizes, they aren't after the Trollhunter. They're after Jim.Takes place mid-season one. Mostly canon-compliant, though, I may have taken a few liberties. Anyway, this is my first fic, so feedback is greatly appreciated!





	1. Chapter 1

“Are you sure I should be keeping the Horngazel?” Toby’s voice echoed through the walkie talkie. Toby couldn’t see, but he was sure Jim was rolling his eyes. This was the fourth time he’d asked today. 

“For that last time Tobes, it’s fine. You’re going to Trollmarket with Aaarrrgh early this morning, and this is the one day I get to sleep in.”

Toby rolled onto his stomach and set the walkie on his pillow. 

“Okay Jimbo. But if I lose it, or it gets stolen or eaten…”

“Tobes!” he interrupted in exasperation. “It’s going to be fine.”

“Okay, okay, okay.” Toby got up and walked to his window. In the dollhouse, he say Chompsky in the bed, cuddling his girlfriend. Toby couldn’t help the little smile that creeped onto his face. He could see Jim sitting at his desk. He waved frantically. Jim looked up and smiled. Even from this distance Toby could see the bags under his eyes. Trollhunting had taken a lot out of Jim. Nobody knew that better than Toby. Well, maybe Claire. Toby came back sore everyday, and he didn’t suffer nearly as many beat-downs as Jimbo did. Toby had always admired Jim and the way he always went the extra mile for the people he cared about, but Trollhunting took that admiration to a whole new level. What did Strickler call him again? Right, “Young Atlas”. As Jim’s best friend, it was Toby’s job to make sure he didn’t have to shoulder the weight of the world, well, two worlds, all on his own. If Vendel was only letting him stick around for moral support, well, then he was going to be the very best there was.

“I won’t let you down Jimbo.”

“Right. Just don’t forget to let me in at eleven, okay?”

“No problemo.” Toby gave Jim a thumbs up through the window, which he promptly returned. “G’night, Trollhunter. Warhammer out.”  
“Night Tobes.”

 

Jim rolled over and checked his alarm. Seven. He groaned and rolled over. The one day he could sleep in and he was up at six anyway. Instead of lying in bed, staring at the ceiling for another hour, Jim rolled out of bed and stretched his arms. Yesterday’s training had been mostly obstacle courses and cardio, so Jim was sore, but not as much as if it had been sparing. Oh man, sparing for three hours with Draal really did a number on your muscles. 

Jim threw on his sweater and jeans. He ran a comb through his hair, grabbed a piece of toast, and was out the door, amulet safely tucked into his messenger bag. If he couldn’t sleep, he may as well be out and about. Maybe Claire wanted to go for a walk, or something. Would she like that? Did she enjoy walking? Honestly, Jim didn’t have a clue. No better way to find out than to ask, right? Oh, but what her parents say? What if Mr. Nunez answered the door? Did he want to risk it just to see if Claire would go on a walk she might not even enjoy?

Relax Jim, he told himself. I’ll just see if Toby can let me into Trollmarket now. 

With that thought, Jim pulled his bike from the garage and began the journey he knew so well. He could probably make his way to the canal blindfolded with his hands tied behind his back. He decided to take the long way however. Toby wasn’t expecting him yet, and he wanted to enjoy the sunlight. The weather was just right for a bike ride. A light breeze blew through his hair, and Jim sighed in content.

Trollhunting was great and all, and Jim wouldn’t change a thing, but sometimes, it was nice to just, be Jim. No evil trolls, no blood-thirsty goblins. Just the sun on his face, and his bike on the road. Moments like these were few and far between. 

Almost too soon, Jim was at the canal. He was about to ride down the concrete slope when he heard something snap behind him. He leaped off his bike, and instinctively reached into his bag and felt the cool metal of his amulet on his fingertips. 

Jim spun around, his hand still on his amulet in his bag. If it was just a regular person, he didn’t want to slice them in half. It looked like a regular person. It was a woman in her mid-thirties. Probably about the same age as his mom. She wore a three-piece suit and had pin-straight blonde hair. She took a step toward him, and Jim’s mind began to race. What was someone dressed so fancy doing by the canal? As far as Jim knew, the only people who hung out at the canal were drunk partiers, and trolls. The woman took another step, and her movements seemed stiff. It reminded Jim of someone…

“Hey, uh, are you lost?” Jim ventured. Another woman, who was nearly identical, emerged from the trees to join her twin. Neither of them said anything for a second. “Freaky,” Jim muttered under his breath. Something weird was going on here, but he just couldn’t place it. 

“Yes, we are lost. Could you tell us how to get to the museum Young Atlas?”

Young Atlas? Strickler! That’s who they reminded him of. They moved like Changelings. Jim gripped his amulet tightly.

“For the glory of- ahh,” Jim screamed as something slammed into the back of his head. He fell to the ground, his head throbbing. Darkness began to dance in his vision. He struggled to keep his eyes open. He lifted his head enough to see three pairs of legs. Someone had ambushed him from behind. He couldn’t believe someone had gotten the drop on him. He was the Trollhunter! He hadn’t even had the chance to summon Daylight. Even in his half-conscious state, he felt a flicker of shame. He felt himself being dragged into the woods by his arms. He moaned in pain, and was greeted by another blow to the back of his head. He tried to pull his arms away, but it was taking all of his strength just to stay awake. He lifted his head up. There was a boulder just a few feet away. If he could take cover just a second, he could grab his amulet and summon Daylight. 

His captor loosened her grip to readjust ever so slightly. Now or never. He twisted his wrist out of her grasp. 

“Rule number three,” he cried as he pulled his legs up and kicked. He didn’t know if that rule applied to Changelings or not, and he didn’t wait to find out. There was a cry of pain and Jim smirked a little to himself. He scrambled behind the boulder and pushed himself into a crouch, back against the boulder. Even that small movement caused his head to spin. He groaned and placed his hand on his forehead as if that could stop the world from rotating. At least with the boulder, he wouldn’t have to worry about attacks from behind. 

“Feisty one, aren’t you?” one of the Changelings said. “Strickler chose his favourites well.”

What was going on? Who were these people? Jim had thought that they were working for Strickler, but they said his name with such distaste. Why would his underlings have so much hatred for him?

“For the…” One of the Changelings lunged at him from the side. He grabbed a nearby stick and used it to fend off the attack. One hand still pressed to his forehead, he groaned again as his vision became worse. He was seeing double now. He lunged at the Changelings head, but missed. The Changeling used his slip-up to get behind his guard and slam his arm into the boulder. Fire raced up Jim’s arm as he cried out. Another Changeling grabbed his other arm. The pain in his head was unbearable now. It felt like someone had taken a jackhammer to his skull. He tried to escape their grip, but he felt his body growing weaker and weaker.  
C’mon Jim. You can do this, he told himself. 

He felt a sharp pain in his neck. A needle. Oh no. That was not good. He needed to summon Daylight and get away from them before whatever it was took effect. Turns out, that had to have happened, like yesterday. Jim started to lose feeling in his fingers. His head drooped and his body grew heavy. So heavy. 

The Changelings released their grip on him and Jim fell flat on his face. He managed to get his hand into his bag, which was, miraculously, still on his shoulder.

“For the, for the, Merlin…”

The world went dark.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ao3 is being very strange right now. It won't let me upload past the first couple paragraphs for some reason. If anybody has any idea why this happening, I'd really appreciate it. Anyway, this chapter is just going to have to be split into two really short ones for now.

“Jim? Jimbo?” Toby called. His voice echoed into the canal and bounced back him. He tried the walkie talkie, but all he got was static. It wasn’t like Jim to forget something like this. Toby checked the time on his phone. 11:01. He was right on time. He texted Jim, and decided to wait a few more minutes. He let the portal close behind him, the horngazel held firmly in his hand. He wasn’t going to lock himself out, like locking your keys in the house. Been there done that. He decided to text Blinky. 

Warhammer: Seen Jimbo anywhere?  
Blinkman: I’m afraid not Tobais. He is not with you?  
Warhammer: If he was, would I be asking you?  
Blinkman: Ah yes, that is a fair point, Tobias. When you find him, tell him we must begin training at once.  
Warhammer: Will do


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, part two of chapter two. It's a little short, but I promise we'll be getting back to Jim soon :)

Jim’s fine, Toby told himself. Maybe he’s still sleeping? He was quite adamant on it last night. Toby did one last scan of the canal. What he saw made his blood run cold.

“Jim’s bike!” he cried as he raced across the canal. Huffing and puffing, he climbed up the slope. Jim’s bike sat neglected in the dirt. There were strange marks in the dirt, but it looked as if someone had been dragged off into the woods. With shaking hands, he took out his phone and dialed Claire.

“Claire, you better get down to the canals as soon as you can. I think Jim’s in trouble.”

“On my way.”

“Hurry.”

Toby hung up and paced back and forth, his mind racing. This was Jim’s bike alright. Something must have happened to him. How long ago had he been here? The tracks looked fresh, but Toby really had no clue. For all he knew, this could’ve been hours ago. Maybe Jim had been dragged off to be devoured by some terrifying wolf-trolls. Did those exist? Toby didn’t know, but his mind was still racing with possibilities, each more terrifying than the last.

“Toby!” Claire’s voice ripped Toby from his disastrous train of thought. He shrieked and jumped into the air. “Woah, woah. It’s just me.”

“Sorry. Just a little jumpy. Thank God you’re here. Blinky and Aaarrrgh can’t come out in the sunlight, and I don’t know what to do.”

“Don’t worry. I’m sure everything is fine.”

Toby admired Claire’s confidence, and felt his shoulders relax just a little. Claire was here now, and they would figure this out together. 

Toby watched as Claire knelt down by the bike. Her face grew pale as she took in what they were seeing. 

“Jim put down his bike, looks like him…”

“Or someone else!” Toby interrupted with a nervous laugh.

“Or someone else,” Claire said in an attempt to humour him, which Toby appreciated. “Was dragged off into the woods.”

Claire pulled out her phone and snapped a few pictures. 

“Since Blinky can’t come out here, I’ll send these to him.”

“Good idea,” Toby said as he started to pace around Jim’s bike. He wrung his hands and stared down at it. If anything happened to Jim…

“It’s gonna be okay. I’m sure this isn’t what it looks like,” Claire offered, placing a hand on Toby’s shoulder. Claire’s phone beeped, and she took her hand off Toby’s shoulder to respond. She put Blinky on speakerphone. 

“Those photos are,” Blinky paused, “most troubling.”

“Did Jim get kidnapped? Oh no! Blinky what are we going to do?” Toby was breathing rapidly now. Claire didn’t look too good either. 

“It appears, yes, something or someone has taken Master Jim.”

“Well how do we get him back?” Claire nearly yelled. Toby took a step closer to her and put his hand on her shoulder. She touched it gratefully. In that moment, Toby was very grateful that Claire was there with him. He didn’t know what he would do if he was dealing with this all on his own. 

“Aaarrrgh and I cannot yet join you on the surface in daylight hours. You two must follow the trail as far as you can. Report back anything that you find. Aaarrrgh and I will inquire around Trollmarket for any suspicious activity.”

Claire nodded. “Okay.”

She hung up the phone and put it in her backpack. She wiped a tear from her cheek quickly, probably hoping Toby wouldn’t notice. 

“Let’s bring him home,” Toby said, and with that, they headed off into the woods. 

 

Blinky was worried. No, not worried, he was afraid. Trouble always seemed to find Master Jim, and it appeared that in this case, it was quite literal. Blinky was the one who had thrust this great responsibility on the young human. If something horrific were to befall him…

No. Blinky could not afford to think that way. Master Jim needed him. He had to keep his wits about him. Whatever had happened to their Trollhunter, if anyone could survive, it was him. He was far more resourceful and clever than many gave him credit for. Blinky cared for him like he would care for a son, and he was going to find him. Jim would do the same for any of them. 

“Come along, dear friend,” Blinky shouted as he woke Aaarrrgh from his nap. “There’s work to be done.”


	4. Chapter 4

Okay. So that happened. He felt extremely groggy, and had no idea how long he’d been out. Toby must be worried sick. He found solace in the fact that his friends were almost certainly searching for him right now. Jim sifted through his memories in an attempt to figure out where he was. Three identical Changeling ladies. Two hits to the back of the head, along with a minor concussion at the very least. The throbbing in Jim’s head felt less like a jackhammer though and more like a rubber mallet, which was, good, he guessed. Nothing about this situation could be good. Next, Jim took stock of his injuries. Not too bad. A concussion, obviously. His arms hurt like crazy, but he could wiggle his fingers, so they weren’t broken or anything more severe. His legs were sore, but other than that, he was doing okay. Oh yeah, other than the fact that he was currently tied to a chair. His wrists were bound with what felt like a bungee cord, and they were tied to the back of the chair. His legs were also tied to the chair legs. So much for rule number three. He was about to open his eyes when he heard voices. They probably still thought he was knocked out. This was his chance to get some information and maybe figure out where he was. 

“Are you sure this is going to work?”

“Relax. Mr. Strickler,” she sneered, “is rather fond of this boy.”

What? Strickler hated him. Sure, he had been his favourite student, but that was before he had become the Trollhunter, before Strickler tried to kill him. Why on earth would they think that Strickler was fond of the Trollhunter? Then it hit Jim like a sack of bricks. These idiots weren’t after the Trollhunter.

They were after Jim. Good ol’ James Lake Jr. Mr. Strickler’s favourite student and star pupil. Jim had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. These morons seriously had no clue. He considered summoning Daylight right then, but he wasn’t sure if it would work with his hands bound, and besides, he wanted to hear more. 

“I still don’t understand what we need with a human brat.” He felt hands grab his chin and lift his head up. It took all his willpower not to flinch.

“With Gunmar out of the picture, Strickler will try to seize control for himself. We need leverage to get back into the Order. Something like this could propel us through his reign.”

Yeah, okay. Jim had heard enough. They wanted to use him to blackmail Strickler to, gain his favour? That seemed a little backwards to Jim, but again, he didn’t know much about Changelings. Jim opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. They were in some kind of cave. The ceiling was maybe six feet tall, and looked like it was made of rocks. It sloped down to one side. He didn’t hear any other sounds, so he assumed they were someplace isolated, maybe still in the woods. Or, deep underground. Jim hoped it wasn’t the former. If they were in the woods, there was a chance that Toby and Claire would find him. He needed to know what time it was. He was at the canal at 10:30. If it wasn’t much later, they couldn’t have gotten far.

The first Changeling he saw with the suit noticed that he was awake. She crossed the small space to him. 

“Look who’s awake. You’ve got some fight in you, James.”

You have no idea, Jim wanted to say, but he kept any retort locked away, for now. He had no idea what they would do to him if they found out he was the Trollhunter.

“What do you want with me?” he growled. Changeling One pulled out a wooden chair and sat in front of him. Behind her stood Changeling Two and Three. Two wore nurse’s scrubs, and Three wore a construction uniform. That was the only way Jim could possibly hope to tell them apart. 

“You see, your dear Mr. Strickler,” One started to say. Jim actually laughed. He wished immediately that he could shove his hands over his mouth. One glared at him for a second before slapping him across the face. Fire spread across his cheek, and Jim bit his tongue to keep from crying out. That was gonna leave a mark for sure. In the back of his mind, he wondered how he was going to explain that to his mom. One grabbed the back of his chair and tipped him toward her. 

“Look here James, we’ve got a lot going on, and that kind of attitude won’t fly. Got it?” 

Jim was very tempted to spit in her face, but he knew that wouldn’t get him anywhere. He settled for a glare. One rolled her eyes and shoved his chair back.

“No, no, no,” Jim cried as the chair fell too far back and landed on his arms. He sucked in a breath and squeezed his eyes closed, trying to focus on anything but the pain. He groaned and tried to flip the chair off of his arms. They were starting to go numb, which Jim knew was a bad thing, but he was grateful for the release from pain. He couldn’t make the chair budge, and probably looked ridiculous. Three walked over and bent down as though to help him back up.

“Leave him,” One demanded. Three kicked him in the ribcage instead. 

Jim tried to curl up, which only caused his wrists and ankles to explode with pain. The cords. Wow. This just kept getting better and better. He turned his head in an attempt to alleviate some of the discomfort. His bag! It was right here beside him. Oh man, if he could get the amulet out, or if he could get his phone, he could call Toby or Claire. 

The Changelings were having a very intense conversation on the other side of the room. Throwing all his weight to the side, and using his arms despite the pain, he managed to flip the chair onto its side. Oh, sweet relief! His arms ached, but he could move his fingers still, and it wasn’t a sharp pain. His arms were still useable, for now, which only mattered if he could somehow get the amulet out of the bag and into his hand without the Changelings noticing. The more Jim thought about it, the more he realized he might not be able to. If he could just free his hands, this would be so much easier. 

He tested the strength of the cords. They stretched a little, only to snap back on his wrists. 

“Ow,” he muttered before trying again. If he could do it enough, he might be able to stretch them to the point of slipping his hands out. He kept trying until…

“Yes!” he whispered to himself. His hands were free. As quietly as he could, he reached into his bag. He shoved the amulet into his pocket, grabbed his phone, dialed Toby, turned the sound off, and shoved it into his pocket as well. He couldn’t say anything to Toby without them noticing and taking his phone away. This way, maybe he could get them to divulge his location before storming the keep with Daylight. He also didn’t know if he could beat all three of them on his own, even with his armour and sword. Besides, as much as they wanted James Lake, he was sure they would want the Tollhunter in captivity even more. He couldn’t risk it. Okay, here goes nothing.

“Ouch!” Jim yelled as he tried pushing the chair back up.

“Hey!” Two shrieked as she pulled the chair back upright. She punched him in the stomach. Jim groaned and doubled over. Three pulled his hands behind the chair once again and bound them even tighter than before. 

“You guys are going to regret this. Strickler will make you pay for this!” Jim shouted, trying his best not to laugh. Hey, this situation was horrible, he may as well enjoy it a little bit. He could only hope that Toby had picked up the phone and was listening.

All three of them laughed. “You call your teacher ‘Strickler’?” 

Oops. “Uh, yes, yes I do, in fact, most of his students do. You can even ask my friend Toby.” Jim really hoped that Toby got that and was listening. “I know that you want to use me to blackmail Strickler, but I don’t think he likes me that much.”

Please, please be listening Tobes. 

“You sneaky brat. You were listening. Just like your friend.”

“No!” Jim screamed. They knew about his phone. 

Two stepped forward and rummaged through his pockets until she pulled out his phone. She smiled as she turned up the volume. Toby and Claire were frantically screaming his name. 

“Toby! Claire! I’m here. I don’t know where I am but…” Jim was cut off when Two slammed a baseball bat into his gut. Jim guessed that must’ve been what they hit him with the first time. It hurt. So much. He couldn’t breathe. Jim was wheezing, desperately trying to catch his breath before Two slammed him again. Jim screamed in pain. Everything hurt and he just wanted it to stop. Was that too much to ask? The answer was "yes" as Two slapped the other side of his face. Nice. Matching bruises. 

Between breaths, Jim got out, “You’re gonna have to do better than that.”

One smiled as she approached Jim. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

Jim’s stomach began to clench in fear when One untied Jim’s arm and held it straight. Jim balled his fists, but he had no strength in his arms. Two raised the bat above his arm.

“No, no, no, please, no!”

The bat came down, and Jim screamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, turns out my schedule is one chapter a day. I'm proud of you for making it this far! (Woah, we're halfway there) Thanks again for reading! Feel free to leave a comment :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha cliffhanger. No different than every single episode of the show honestly. My poor baby, why do I do this to you? Anyway, enjoy chapter 5 :)

“What are they doing to him?” Claire cried. She was gripping Toby’s arm so tightly, her knuckles were turning white. Toby’s small yelp of pain reminded her to ease up just slighty. Claire didn’t think she’d ever get the sound of Jim’s screams from her head. They rattled around and echoed in her brain. Jim was always so strong and in control, even when he was terrified. That was the first rule of Trollhunting. “Always be afraid.” But those weren’t screams of fear. They were screams of pain. Hearing him scream like that felt, wrong. Whatever was happening, Jim didn’t deserve it. She was going to get him back.

Claire glanced at Toby. Scratch that. They were going to get him back. 

“No, no, no, please no!” Jim cried from on the other end of the line. Toby held the phone between them, and his hands were shaking. There was a blood-curdling snap, and Jim began wailing. Toby dropped the phone and put his head in his hands. Claire watched it fall, almost in slow-motion. It landed face up, and all Claire could do was stare at it as the call ended, severing their only connection to Jim. She fell to her knees as tears began to run down her face.

“What are they doing to him?” Claire whispered to herself. “Oh, Jim.”

Birds chirped and fluttered through the canopy of trees. It seemed cruel. How could they sing when Claire’s world was falling apart? A ray of sun hit Claire. It was a beautiful day. She should be spending it on a walk with Jim, outside, enjoying life. Did Jim even like going for walks? She didn’t care. When they got him back, and they would get him back, her and Jim were going to go on so many walks together. 

“We, we need to call Blinky,” Toby said, offering Claire his hand to help her up. She handed Toby his phone as he pulled her up. Toby put the phone on speaker. Blinky answered on the first ring. He must’ve been waiting for news. Claire felt the same way.

“Have you found anything? Where are you? Where does the trail lead? Any word from Master Jim?” 

“Woah. Blinky, slow down,” Toby said. Claire chuckled just a little as she wiped a tear from her cheek. “We followed the path, but it ends by this big boulder. Jim, phoned us.”

“What? Tell me everything.”

They did. Claire had to choke back a sob. Jim’s screams echoed in her mind with renewed force. She couldn’t believe how Toby was able to recount everything so calmly. Just hearing him caused Claire to lose any semblance of composure she had left. Those screams belonged to Jim. Her Jim. It would be okay though. Blinky would know what to do. 

Blinky had been silent during Toby’s recount of the phone call, and he stayed silent a moment afterward. 

“Something troubling is afoot.”

“Ya think?” Toby snapped. He looked down at his feet, slightly embarrassed. Claire put her hand on his shoulder.

“Jim said they wanted to use him as blackmail against Strickler, but Strickler wants the Trollhunter dead, unless…”

“Great Gorka Morka!” Blinky cried.

“What?” Toby asked, his eyes darting from Claire to the phone.

“They don’t know he’s the Trollhunter!” Claire and Blinky explained at the same time. 

“Of course! Jim was Mr. Strickler’s favourite student before, you know.”

“These kidnappers want leverage against him. As a Changeling, Strickler likely wouldn’t have made many personal connections.”

“What does this mean for Jim?” Toby asked.

“It means, Master Jim has the element of surprise on his side.”

“We’re going to find him, right Blinky?” Claire asked. Blinky was always so dependable and smart. She needed his confirmation right now. 

“Yes. We will find Master Jim, but you must have faith in him. And yourselves.”

Toby bumped his shoulder against hers, and Claire was thankful for the millionth time today that he was there with her. She hadn’t realized how much they were holding each other up. She knew she couldn’t give in because Toby needed her, and vice versa. 

“We’re going to find him.”

“I know you will. Aaarrrgh and I will be there to join you as soon as we can. The two of you, keep searching.”

Blinky ended the call. Claire wiped another tear from her eye before turning to Toby. “Can you still track Jim’s phone?”

Toby’s eyes lit up. “Of course!” Toby pulled up the app and typed in his ludicrously long password. “Here we go. It says he’s, about five miles from here!”

“Well,” Claire said, “we better get walking.”

 

Strickler had been off the grid for a couple weeks. He was currently staying in a filthy motel a couple towns over. The bed squealed every time he moved, and the pillows were lumpy. The rickety wooden desk on the opposite side of the room was covered with spell books and other materials.   
If he was being honest, there was much to do before pursuing Angor Rot, but he missed his students. He missed teaching, cracking jokes and sharing knowledge. Changelings didn’t often get involved in the community the way Strickler had. It provided him with plenty of information and access, but it also made things complicated. When he found out Jim was the Trollhunter, he didn’t know what to do. The boy would be marked for death, but as was the way of destiny. But Strickler, honest to God, liked Jim. He was smart, hardworking, and he had a good heart. He had started to view Jim as a son, but that all changed. Now, he was wrapped up with Jim’s mother, and would somehow have to kill the boy if he ever wanted to succeed. Strickler shook his head. Human emotions were complicated. 

With all of this running through his head, Strickler was startled to see he had an incoming phone call, from Jim. Barbara had given him Jim's number, in the case of an emergency. He couldn't possibly fathom why Jim would call him. He let it ring, considering ignoring the call. What would Jim want from him? On the last ring, against his better judgment, Strickler picked up his phone.

“Ah, Young Atlas. I must say I wasn’t…”

Strickler didn’t have a chance to finish his venomously polite greeting. He was cut off by the sound of the Trollhunter’s tortured screams. 

What in the world? He thought to himself. It must be some kind of trick. Something to get him off his guard. It wouldn’t work. Even so, Strickler couldn’t help but flinch at the sound of a wack, and Jim’s subsequent groan. 

“I hope I have your attention, Mr. Strickler,” a female voice taunted from the phone. Strickler recognized it immediately. 

“Ms. Ettling. Haven’t you and your sisters embarrassed yourselves enough?”

“Listen closely, Strickler. Jim here has a message for you.”

Why should he care? If they have the Tollhunter, let them kill him for all it mattered to Strickler. It would sure make his job a lot easier. Jim groaned again, and Strickler was shocked at the next words that tumbled from his mouth. 

“I’m listening.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going on a trip with my friend, so I'll be gone for a couple days. Expect an update when I get back though. Sorry about that! Well, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

“Oh please Mr. Strickler, you have to help me!” If Jim’s hands hadn’t been tied behind his back or broken, he would’ve swooned. Ms. Janeth had been absolutely crazy, but he had learned much about acting from her. Not that what he was doing was really acting. More like, _over-_ acting. But hey, Jim had been Romeo. Shakespeare was entirely over-acting. “I don’t know if I can handle much more abuse! These Changelings are so terribly wicked.”

          Oh no. Oh no, no, no, Jim you idiot, he cursed himself. He wasn’t supposed to know they were Changelings. James Lake didn’t know what a Changeling was. The Trollhunter did though. The Changelings all stared at him. One stepped forward and twisted his broken arm, which Jim was cradling to his stomach. He screamed as the feeling of white-hot knives repeatedly stabbing into his skin spread up and down his arm.

          “Changelings?” One hissed, her face close enough to Jim’s that he could feel her breath. C’mon Jim, think, he told himself. Could he wield Daylight with a broken arm? It was his left arm, but still, he often needed both hands. How would the armour react to his injury? It often protected him, but if he was already hurt, having all that weight would only make it worse. If he could come up with a believable lie, he could buy himself a little more time.

          “Yes,” he said with as much confidence as he could. “I’m Mr. Strickler’s favourite for a reason. “We’re very close, and he told me himself. Isn’t that right, Strickler?”

          The ball was in Strickler’s court now. Silence rang out from the other end. These people wanted leverage over Strickler, and Jim offered more, in their eyes, than the Trollhunter probably would. Strickler, with his knowledge of Jim’s true identity, would be in control of the situation, if he chose not to reveal it. On the other hand, Jim knew that Strickler wanted him dead. If he told these Changelings that they actually had the Trollhunter in captivity, they very well might kill him on the spot, or use him for something more horrid. Jim had no idea what Strickler was going to do. His stomach churned as he waited for a response. Finally, Strickler spoke.

          “It’s true. He is highly resourceful, and I trust him greatly.”

          Jim let out a massive breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. He was absolutely certain that Strickler had an alternative motive for not revealing the truth, but for the moment, Jim was grateful.

          “However,” Strickler continued, “As much as it pains me, I have no use for this boy. My plans are more important than one human whelp. Multiple Changelings with the same familiar is already a disgrace enough, but after your failure to retrieve the stones from Argentina, any self-respecting Changeling would have nothing to do with you, no matter what leverage you think you may have.”

          The three Changelings looked at each other. Clearly this was not going as they had anticipated.

          “You may want to…” One faded out as Strickler hung up the phone.

          Strickler had played that well. Better than Jim probably would have, were he in his position. He didn’t reveal Jim’s identity, yet almost insured that they would kill him anyway.

          “I told you, we should have gone for the woman,” Three said. Her and Two glared at One.

          Jim’s Mom. They were going to use her next. Not a chance. Anger twisted Jim’s gut. It was bad enough seeing Strickler with his mom. He would NOT let anyone else near her. What Jim did next was purely on instinct.

          “Stay. Away. From. My. Mom,” Jim growled. He clenched his jaw to avoid screaming as he used his untied yet broken arm to grab the amulet from his pocket. Three lunged at him, but it was too late. “For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command.”

          Activating the armour was always an amazing experience, but it never felt more satisfying than it did in that moment. The Changelings backed away, their faces a mix of horror, and the dawning realization that they screwed up real bad. Jim fell to the ground, crushing the wooden chair beneath him. He summoned Daylight in his right hand. It felt lighter than usual. The armour on his left arm was tightening up, acting as a splint. He didn’t know it could do that. He would have to ask Blinky about it when he saw him, which he hoped wouldn’t be too much longer.

          “You, you’re the Trollhunter!” Three cried as she backed up, tripping over a chair.

          Jim swung Daylight in front of him, adjusting to the lighter weight. “The one and only.”

          “How is this possible? Strickler…”

          “Was right about kicking you guys out of, whatever,” Jim taunted. His broken arm throbbed as a reminder to hurry up so he could take the armour off. The longer he had it on, despite how much it was trying to ease his pain, the more damaged his arm would become. It also served as a reminder of how much he wanted to get away from these twisted Changelings. Kidnapping a sixteen-year-old kid to use as leverage against his favourite teacher, that was sick. Jim tried not to think about what would’ve happened if they went after someone like Mary, or Eli.

          Three screamed and lunged at Jim. He pulled his arm to his chest and rolled to the side. Three grabbed a metal pipe and met Jim’s sword with a clash of metal. He shoved her backwards, but with only one arm, and likely a fractured rib, there wasn’t much power to it. Three stumbled just enough for Jim to use Daylight to slice her weapon in half.

          “Ugh!” she cried, throwing the now three-inch metal pipe at Jim, who deflected it easily.

          One and Two finally joined the fight. Every movement sent agony through Jim’s arms and ribs.

          “That’s it!” One cried. There was a burst of light, and instead of a set of triplets, there were three trolls. They looked a lot like Bagdwella from Trollmarket, which felt wrong to Jim. Sure, Bagdwella was a pain in the butt, she didn’t mean any harm. Jim hated Changelings. He no longer knew which was which, and honestly, he didn’t care anymore. He just wanted to get away from them, and to a hospital. Hopefully.

          He backed up against the wall. There wasn’t much space to maneuver, and that made fighting with a broadsword rather difficult. He smacked one of the Changelings with the flat of his blade. She reeled backwards, hissing. He dissolved Daylight into his armour and picked up the chair One had been sitting on earlier. He hefted it up with one arm and hurled it their heads. He used the distraction to slide towards them, baseball style, and sweep their legs out from under them. He rolled to the side and stood up, grunting with the effort. He summoned Daylight back to his hand and leaned against the wall. God, it hurt so much. He pulled his broken arm closer to his chest. He summoned the last of his strength and stood over his captors who were desperately attempting to untangle themselves. He raised Daylight. Fear spread like wildfire across their features. Jim’s head began throbbing again, and his arm screamed in agony. He hesitated, just for a moment. They were so stupid it was almost endearing. He knew though, that if he didn’t finish the fight, they would go after his Mom next. Jim couldn’t let that happen. One swipe of his sword, and they were all turned to stone.

          “You messed with the wrong brat,” Jim said as he removed the amulet and deactivated the armour. He fell the ground, breathing heavily. His broken arm wasn’t in nearly as much pain without the armour, but he still flinched with every movement. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, Jim realized how exhausted he was. Every breath was filled with pain. Okay, okay. He needed to find a way out of here. He hoped Toby and Claire were close by. No way was he making it to a hospital on his own. He just had to have faith in his friends.

 

 

 

          “It’s Jim it’s Jim oh my gosh,” Toby cried as he fumbled to get his phone out. “Jim, buddy, are you okay?”

          Claire stood behind Toby, looking over his shoulder. The phone tracker said he was right where they were standing, but there was nothing but a pile of rocks. Toby and Claire had been searching around it, thinking maybe Jim dropped his phone, but clearly he didn’t if he was calling them.

          “Not okay, exactly, but,” Jim groaned, “not dead.”

          “Where are you?” Claire asked.

          “I-I’m not sure. I’m in some kind of cave. Hold on.”

          Toby squeezed his eyes shut, but it’s not like that could block out the sounds of Jim’s pain. Toby’s heart ached for his best friend, and Claire’s hand that seemed to have found a temporary home on Toby’s shoulder told him that she felt the same way.

          “Jim, how badly are you hurt?” Claire asked, leaning in closer to the phone. Toby didn’t want to know, but he knew they had to. They needed to know what to expect when they found him. Jim was silent for a second.

          “It’s not so bad…”

          “Jim,” Claire demanded. “How bad is it?”

          “Well, they hit me quite a few times in the head, so a concussion there.”

          “What else?”

          “They uh, broke my arm and pretty sure one of my ribs too.”

          Claire put her hand over her mouth. “Jim, don’t move. We’ll find you.”

          “Little too late for that, you know, not moving,” he chuckled nervously. “I already summoned the armour and…”

          “Jim!” Claire admonished. “Just hang tight. We’re going to find you.”

          “Yeah dude,” Toby added. “My phone tracker says you’re right where we are, but there’s just this pile of rocks.”

          “Hold on. There’s a hole in the roof if I could just…”

          “Over there!” Claire pointed. Toby followed her gesture to see and hand waving from out of the pile of rocks. The two of them raced towards it. Claire knelt down and grabbed Jim’s hand, pressing it against her cheek. Toby knelt beside her. He hung up the phone. They didn’t need it, now that Jim was right here.

          “Quit hogging Jim’s hand,” Toby protested, forcing Claire to scoot over a little. He grabbed Jim’s hand. “I can’t believe we found you.”

          “I knew you would.”

          “We need to figure out how to get you out of there.”

          “Can you move any of the rocks?”

          “They might cave in and crush you,” Claire said.

          “Well, the only other way out is a tunnel sealed with a Changeling lock, and I may have, uh killed the ones I had.”

          Jim sounded, remorseful. Toby squeezed his hand. “I’m sure you did what you had to.”

          “Thanks, Tobes.” Jim squeezed his hand in return. “Wait, I hear something. Someone’s coming.”

          Jim pulled his hand away and disappeared back under the rocks.

          “Jim!” Toby called after him. “Claire, quick we have to help him!”

          “I know! Help me move some of these rocks.”

          “But you said it could cause a cave in.”

          “I know, I know, but if we’re careful, it’ll be okay. We don’t have to get Jim out, we just have to get in.” Claire pulled a rock away from the hole. “Besides, we don’t have any other choice.”

          Toby joined Claire, and together, they slowly made the hole bigger and bigger. Jim was shouting and there were sounds of fighting in the cave. They had to get to him. He needed their help.

          “Hang on Jimbo. We’re coming.”

 

 

 

          Strickler took a sip of his stale coffee. He was rather pleased with how well the phone call had gone. He was under no delusions that those four bumbling idiots would find themselves able to kill the Trollhunter, and perhaps Young Atlas could rid him of this headache. It was rare, but not unheard of for a set of Changelings to use the same familiar. It made less work, however; the abilities of said Changelings were, rather limited, to put it bluntly. Those morons nearly blew the whole Killahead operation out of the water when they failed to acquire pieces of the bridge in Argentina. If those simpletons wished to use James Lake Jr. as blackmail, they would go after Barbara next, and Strickler had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to handle that situation as well. He knew the Trollhunter would come to the same conclusion, and he would not allow anyone to hurt his mother. Those Changelings were as good as dead. Strickler felt a small smile tug at his lips. Finally, some things were going his way.

 


	7. Chapter 7

 

          “Oh, come on! How many of you are there?”

Changeling number four stared at Jim dumbfoundedly. Jim used the moment of hesitation to slide past her out the door she had just unlocked. He kicked it shut behind him and took off down the tunnel. Every breath sent piercing pain through his chest. Jim rounded a corner and leaned against the wall to catch his breath. He didn’t like the wheezing sound that echoed through the tunnel. He realized it was him that sounded like a dying cat. Jim summoned his armour. He groaned as it began pressing down on his broken arm and rib once again. This armour that was supposed to protect him was only making his injuries worse. It made breathing nearly impossible.

“Come on!” Jim hollered down the tunnel. The echoed slapped back at him. “Come on and fight me!”

          “You killed my sisters,” answered a voice from down the tunnel.

          “I had to.” Did he? Yes, he did. He couldn’t let anyone else hurt his mom. He loved her more than anything, and would do whatever it took to protect her.

          “Well, then I have to do this too.”

          Number Four came charging out of the shadows with a dagger. Jim blocked the strike, but he was slow. His body wasn’t responding the way it usually would. Jim twisted his sword in an attempt to disarm her, but the dagger was too small for it to have any affect. Four pulled the dagger away abruptly, causing Jim to stumble forward. She slashed at his face, but Jim rolled to the side. The blade nicked his forehead, and he felt a trickle of blood on his face. He stood up, the world spinning. He felt himself get slammed up against the wall. Daylight flew out of his hand and skittered out of reach as Jim fell to the ground. The impact sent shooting pains through his whole body. If he wasn’t injured, this would have been so much easier.

          Jim tried pushing himself up with one arm when he felt a weight on his back, pushing him back to the ground. Jim yelped as the pressure built.

          “Jim!”

          The pressure eased up, giving Jim the chance to twist his body and grab the Changeling’s leg. He pulled her down and rolled on top of her. He summoned Daylight and stabbed the Changeling through the heart. She turned to stone beneath him. Jim stood up and deactivated the armour. Claire and Toby were running toward him.

          Just like that, Jim felt a weight rising off of his shoulders. His friends were here.

          “Claire! Toby!”

          “Jim!” They pulled him into a tight hug.

          “Ouch, ouch, maybe ease up a little?”

          “Oh, sorry.” They both pulled away while leaving a hand on his shoulder.

          “How do we get out of here?” Toby asked.

          “We could follow the tunnel,” Jim suggested.  

          “Or, we could wait for Blinky and Aaarrrgghh.” Claire countered. “Jim, you look like you’re in no condition to move. We have no idea how far the tunnel goes, or where we’ll end up.”

          “Fair enough. Blinky and Aaarrrgghh can’t come out until night, so what time is it?”

          Toby pulled out his phone. “Three o’clock.”

          “That’s like four hours.”

          “It’s your call, Jimbo.” Toby squeezed his shoulder.

          Everything hurt. Jim didn’t want to wait four hours for a rescue, but he also knew that everything would hurt much more if he was moving around. When you have a concussion, the first thing you should do is limit movement, something Jim already failed to do. Besides, they had no idea what they would run into, and Jim wouldn’t be able to protect his friends.

          “Let’s wait. Claire, can you call Blinky?”

          She nodded and dialled Blinky. She told him the plan, and he agreed.

          “This is the best course of action. Aaarrrgghh and I will be there as soon as we are able.”

          Jim put his good arm around Toby’s shoulder. “Thanks, you guys.”

          “That’s what friends are for.” Claire put an arm around Jim’s waist to help support him. Slowly but surely, the three of them made their way back to the open room where Jim had first woken up. Claire grabbed the chair that Jim had thrown across the room and set it back upright. Jim was grateful for the chance to just sit down. No hands tied or evil Changelings with baseball bats and murder in their eyes. Just a hard, wooden chair, and his best friends.

          Jim tucked his broken arm into his stomach. Claire noticed his grimace and leaned down to take a look. Halfway up his forearm, there was a bend that was not supposed to be there. Toby joined Claire and stood beside her.

          “You’re lucky it didn’t break the skin. That’s one less thing to worry about, but we should still splint it.

          Claire looked at Toby in surprise. “How do you know all that?” she asked.

          “What? Jim’s mom is a doctor. She taught us some first aid,” Toby defended.

          “We can use that piece of pipe,” Jim suggested, pointing at the pipe that one of the Changelings had used to attack him.

          “Perfect.” Toby picked it and weighed it in his hand. “We should take your sweater off to check it out.”

          Jim grit his teeth as Claire helped him ease the sweater off his broken arm. Claire’s eyes widened and she turned around to avoid looking at it. Jim nearly threw up himself. The skin around where his arm bent was red and blue and swollen to at least twice its normal size. His mom was a doctor, so he had heard all kinds of terrible stories of the horrendous injuries she’d had to deal with. One time, someone had used a nail gun and shot a nail through their foot. At Jim’s insistence, his mom had shown him a picture. It was so horrible, he couldn’t look away. Seeing it on his own arm though, that was something else entirely. Toby just studied it, remarkably calm.

          “Tobes?” Jim said, not sure what he was asking for.

          Claire had rejoined them, and though her face was still pale, she had a look of determination.

          “Claire, find something to tie Jim’s sweater around his arm for a splint.”

          Claire nodded. “How do you know what to do?” she asked, grabbing some bungee cords from the floor.

          “My nana has osteoporosis. Her bones break easy.” Toby laughed half-heartedly.

          Claire handed him the cords and put a hand on his shoulder. With Toby giving directions, him and Claire made Jim a makeshift splint. It hurt like crazy, but Jim knew it would help. One problem solved. Now they just had to fix his broken rib and concussion, get out of this cave, and hopefully get medical attention. Easy peasy. No problem, maybe just after a quick nap…

          “Hey, hey, Jimbo, don’t sleep.”

          “Hmm? Oh, sorry, sorry.” Jim snapped his eyes back open. “I’m jus’ a little tired.”

          “I know. That stupid concussion.” Claire began pacing. “Those monsters are lucky to be dead. How could they do that?”

          “I’m just glad it was me,” Jim admitted, although his aching body begged to differ.

          “What do you mean?” Toby asked as he sat down on the ground beside Jim, leaning against his chair.

          “Well, they only came after me because I was Strickler’s favourite student. What if they had gone after Eli? Or Steve?”

          “You are way overthinking it. They’re gone now, it’s all going to be okay,” Claire reassured. Jim smiled gratefully. “It must’ve been terrible. Maybe you should lay down for a bit. No sleeping though.”

          Jim laughed, immediately regretting it. Fire shot through his body. He ground his teeth together to keep from screaming. Claire helped him stand up and led him to a smooth patch of ground by the far wall. Claire sat down and leaned against the wall. Jim laid down slowly, and Claire guided his head into her lap. She began running her fingers through his hair and talking about nothing, just to keep him awake.

          Jim knew this position wasn’t good. If they were attacked again, he wouldn’t be able to protect his friends. He turned his head to look at Toby, who was shutting the door and propping up anything he could against it. Maybe he wouldn’t have to protect them. They were doing a fine job on their own. Jim stared at the ceiling and listened to the sound of Claire’s voice. He finally felt at peace for the first time since that morning. Everything was going to be okay.

           

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait! At least Claire and Toby are here now. I'm happy you made it this far :) One more chapter to go


	8. Chapter 8

 

          “But you were in a Shakespeare play,” Jim said.

          “Well, yeah, a _play._ Shakespeare wrote his works to be performed,” Claire responded in exasperation. “He didn’t write plays to be studied and dissected.”

          “Wait, so you don’t think we should study Shakespeare?” Toby asked, rolling on to his stomach to face Claire and Jim. Claire rolled her eyes. She had been trying to keep Jim from falling asleep, and somehow they ended up talking about Shakespeare. Claire knew that Shakespeare would never have wanted his plays to be relentlessly studied in a classroom. Well, she knew that’s not what she would want.

          “You two are hopeless.”

          The room began shaking. Toby got his feet and grabbed a broken chair leg. He held it in front of him like a sword. Claire stood up and gave Jim her hand. He stood up beside her with a groan. Amulet in hand, they waited. A large piece of the ceiling was pulled away and landed out of sight with a thud.

          “Master Jim?”

          “Blinky!” Jim cried. Leaning on Claire, they made their way to the gap in the roof.

          “And Aaarrrgghh,” another voice added.

          “Wingman!” Toby cried. “Wait, it’s not sundown yet, is it?”  
          “We found a sewer passage that leads to the edge of the woods, and stayed in the shadow of the trees,” Blinky answered. “And then it was only a matter of…”

          Blinky shouted as he tumbled into their cave through the growing hole in the roof. Aaarrrgghh poked his head through. “Hi.”

          Blinky stood up and brushed himself off with all four hands. “Now, Master Jim, let’s get you out of this wretched place and to a medical practitioner. Claire informed me that your injuries were rather severe.”

          “Yeah, that sounds like a plan.”

          Claire handed Jim off to Blinky, who scooped him up and handed him to Aaarrrgghh. Claire knew Jim was safe, but she didn’t like having him out of her sight. Last time that happened, he had been kidnapped and tortured. Blinky cupped two of his hands together and boosted Claire up. Aaarrrgghh grabbed her hands and pulled her the rest of the way out of the cave. Jim was sitting in the grass beside the pile of rocks. He looked even worse in the light. Both cheeks were swollen up to his eyes, and there was a nasty looking cut on his forehead. Those were just the injuries she could see. Who would do this to a kid? Those sick Changelings didn’t know he was the Trollhunter. Despite what Claire told Jim, she couldn’t help but think about what could have happened if they decided that someone like Shannon was a better target. Claire shook her head. It didn’t matter now. Jim had made sure they wouldn’t hurt anyone else.

          Toby and Blinky made their way out of the cave. Everybody just sat on the grass for a moment, not saying anything. All the anxiety and terror were melting away. They were all here together, Jim was safe, and they were going to make it home.

          “We should be moving on,” Blinky said. With Claire’s help, Jim struggled to his feet. Anger flashed across Blinky’s face, but it was gone in an instant. “I know that you humans are incredibly fragile, so Aaarrrgghh can carry you, Master Jim, as to not worsen your physical state.”

          “Thanks, guys,” Jim said. Aaarrrgghh leaned down, and Blinky helped Jim onto his back. After making sure Jim was settled, they began the long trek back to the city.

 

 

 

          Jim woke up in a cold sweat. His heart was still pounding. He tried to tell himself that it was only a dream. Just a dream. He’d barely slept at all since the, incident. His dreams were plagued by hundreds of identical Changelings with baseball bats. He couldn’t figure out why it bothered him so much. He’d been in worse scrapes as the Trollhunter. He realized that was the problem. He hadn’t been the Trollhunter. He was Jim. He used to be able to fall back on just being Jim. Yes, keeping up two lives was rough, but they were separate. If Jim hadn’t been the Trollhunter, if the amulet had chosen someone else…

He tried not to think about it. He went downstairs to make lunch for his mom. Jim knew his mom wanted to believe him. He told her that he hit a rock on his bike and rolled into the canal. It was one of the more believable lies he’s come up with, but he still felt that stabbing guilt in his chest that appeared every time he lied to his mom. He couldn’t tell her the real reason Claire and Toby and brought him to the hospital with a broken arm, what turned out to be two fractured ribs, and a minor concussion. She was still upset about the “coyotes” and this certainly didn’t help matters. He was only protecting her. That’s what he told himself. She’d forgive him if she knew the truth, he knew it in his heart.

          He sighed as he put his mom’s lunch in the fridge. She’d forgive him if she knew.

          When Jim opened his front door, Toby and Claire were both there waiting for him. This was Jim’s first time visiting Tollmarket in two weeks. Claire and Toby had decided that he would not be alone until they knew for sure the Changelings who kidnapped him were gone.

          Claire was standing beside her bike. “Hey. How’re you feeling?”

          They started walking. “Better every day.”

          “At least you don’t have to go to gym class,” Toby said. “Coach Lawrence made us do the Beep Test yesterday. I still can’t feel my legs.”

          “What level did you make it to?” Claire asked.

          “Two.”

          Jim laughed. It felt amazing to laugh without being in intense pain. His arm was still in a cast, and would be for another month. The pain in his head from the concussion was practically gone, although his vision was still a little blurry. The bruises on his cheeks had shrunk, and were starting to become a mottled green. Every day, the pain was less and less. Jim was healing. Slowly and surely, he was getting better.

          One hand on the center of the handlebars, Claire slipped her other hand into Jim’s, and he felt himself blush a little. They walked along, the sun shining on their faces. Jim listened to Toby complaining about gym class, reminding himself for the millionth time how amazing it was to have these people by his side.

          “Hey, I don’t know if I ever really thanked you guys,” Jim said.

          “What for?” Toby asked, adjusting the straps of his backpack.

          “Finding me, for bringing me home.”

          “You’d do the same for us.”

          Toby nodded in agreement with Claire.

          “I know, just, let me thank you, jeez.”

          “Okay, okay, you’re very welcome,” Claire laughed, and Jim thought his heart might melt into his feet, it was such a lovely sound.

          They kept walking, and Jim felt the way he did when his friends had found him in the cave. He felt at peace, for the first time since it happened. He knew, as long as they were with him, everything would be okay.

          He was going to be okay.     

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is it. The last chapter. Thanks to everyone who stuck it through to the end. It means a lot to me. Please, feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think :)

**Author's Note:**

> I'll try to update as often as I can, but here's the first chapter for now! I hoped you enjoyed it! Feel free to leave a comment, or don't, you know, whatever. Thanks for reading!


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